Hellboy
Real Name: Anung Un Rama First Appearance: San Diego Comic-Con Comics #2 Last Appearance: Hellboy: Darkness Calls Cause: Latest Appearance So Far Species: Humanoid Demon Gender: Male Occupation: Paranormal Investigator for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (Now Retired) Family: Trevor Bruttenholm (adoptive father/mentor) Children: None Known As Of Yet Creator: Mike Mignola Anung Un Rama, better known as “Hellboy”, is a fictional demon/paranormal investigator created by comic artist Mike Mignola and published in comic books by Dark Horse Comics Inc. He first appeared in San Diego Comic-Con Comics #2, and was soon given the lead role in his own comic book series written and drawn by Mignola, with assistance from John Byrne at first. The character was well-received by comic readers and critics alike, and the character’s popularity has risen tremendously due to his appearances in other media, most notably the 2003 live-action film Hellboy, directed by Guillermo del Toro, a devoted fan of the comic. To date, Hellboy remains Mignola’s most beloved and recognizable creation. Hellboy, as his associates most often call him, is a tall, muscular red-skinned demon. He was gifted with a prehensile tail, immunity to fire and possessed of great strength and perseverance. His face bore black sideburns with a bald spot atop his head, which is also the home of two massive demonic horns. These have been filed off by Hellboy himself, reduced to stubs, in order to make him more human and to fit in. With yellow eyes, a commanding voice with a strong Bronx accent, and a hot attitude, Hellboy has the dry wit and sarcastic personality of a rebellious teenager. He always takes his often-maddening job in stride, shrugging off monstrous foes and saving Earth from total devastation with a crack of the knuckles, a twist of the neck, and a skeptical one-liner. Character Biography Creation Hellboy was born the night of December 23, 1944, on an island off the Scottish Coast. Summoned to Earth by the evil mystic Gregori Rasputin, who had been employed by the Nazis, the infant demon appeared miles away in a churchyard in East Bromwich, England. There he met a team of crack American soldiers sent to investigate the mysterious Nazi ritual, who were accompanied by Professor Trevor Bruttenholm of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (B.P.R.D.). Bruttenholm befriended the creature, affectionately naming him ‘Hellboy,’ and the demon child was raised in secret by the U.S. government and trained/educated to be a paranormal investigator. Early Career Hellboy aged greatly in body, although somewhat less in mind: while appearing to be a full-grown middle-aged man, he still had the rebellious fire and attitude of an adolescent. He became adept in many supernatural and paranormal subjects such as possession, haunting, exorcism, enchantments, holy amulets, and sacred artifacts. He eventually became a full-fledged field agent of the B.P.R.D. under Trevor Bruttenholm. In the years following World War II and the demise of the Nazi regime, Hellboy traveled the world, encountering and defeating numerous supernatural beings and disturbances such as werewolves, vampires, and encounters with the deranged Nazi brain-in-a-bottle scientist Herman Von Klempt and even the malicious Baba Yaga. In the year 1952, Hellboy was granted honorary human status by the United Nations. Two years later, Hellboy was approached by the Osiris Club to slay the Saint Leonard worm, an alligator-like monster. The battle is in fact a test of Hellboy's true virtue, resulting in lilies that grow from his spilled blood, which seems to confirm his good nature. A short time later, Professor Bruttenholm sent Hellboy to help a Professor Edmond Aickman with the King Vold myth. Aickman was obsessed with a possible reward, and manipulated Hellboy into begrudgingly completing Vold's chosen tasks. Hellboy then embarked on a mission to rescue a stolen infant. In order to do so, he had to bear a corpse to his final resting place. Overseeing the assignment is the King of the Daoine Sidh, who will harbor interest in Hellboy in the near future. Mister Tod, a physical medium much like Johann Kraus, accidentally released a cosmic monster to create a body for itself with Tod’s ectoplasm, and Hellboy is sent in to clean up the mess. He barely suceeds in defeating the beast, and in 1982 tracks down the infamous Countess Ilona Kakosky, a vampiric woman. Hellboy slays her after she tries to tempt him with a disturbing vision In 1991, Hellboy teamed up with fellow agent Abe Sapien, an amphibious humanoid, to investigate an alleged haunted house. Hellboy is magically warped through time to the year 1902, where he had to contend with the sadistic leader of the Heliopic Brotherhood of Ra, a cult that tries to get a sample of Hellboy’s demonic blood to use on a chimpanzee, with the intent of turning the ape into a bloodthirsty monster. The Cavendish Hall affair However, it wasn’t until the groundbreaking Cavendish Hall mission that Hellboy truly met a challenge which posed an extreme threat to him or his fellow agents Abe Sapien and Elizabeth Sherman, a woman with uncontrollable pyrokinetic abilities. It began when Hellboy met with his mentor Trevor Bruttenholm, who was trying to tell Hellboy a crucial memory, which was disturbing the Professor. Suddenly, Bruttenholm was mysteriously killed when a spawning of frogs entered the room, and an angered Hellboy faced off with a humanoid frog-creature. A mission was sent to the haunted Cavendish Hall mansion, consisting of Hellboy, Abe and Liz to question the elderly Mrs. Cavendish, whose well-known family heritage Bruttenholm mentioned as he tried to remember what to tell Hellboy seconds before his death. Mrs. Cavendish was a widow who lost her two sons many decades ago, when they, along with a younger Trevor Bruttenholm, together explored the Artic in search of a legendary temple. There they came across Gregori Rasputin, who had been hibernating for years in service to a terrible cosmic monstrosity, the Ogdru Jahad. Rasputin had become the creatures’ only hope of entering our world in order for them to unleash the Apocalpse on Earth. The beast awoke, devouring the two Cavendish men, while Bruttenholm escaped with a fragile memory. The Cavendish brothers were transformed into two frog-like beasts, which kill Mrs. Cavendish that very night. It turned out that a revived Rasputin had been manipulating events in order to draw Hellboy, his greatest creation, closer to him, intent on forcing Hellboy to fulfill his purpose as the harbinger of Armageddon. Rasputin was the one who summoned Hellboy to this world back in 1944, and had been patiently waiting for his chance to return and retake control of his ‘son.’ Hellboy, however, refused this destiny, having been raised by his mentor in the ways of goodness, and then tried to slay a furious and rejected Rasputin. With the help of Abe Sapien and Liz Sherman’s summoning of a firestorm that killed the Ogdru Jahad just as it began to enter our plane, Hellboy succeeded in rejecting his purpose and delaying the End of Days. Rasputin was forced to flee, and vowed that Hellboy would fulfill his purpose in the end, whether he wanted to or not. More Career Highlights What follows are a few worthy-of-note adventures of Hellboy and his partners following the Cavendish Hall incident: * 1994, Griart, The Balkans: Hellboy and Kate Corrigan visit a town decimated by the angry ghosts of werewolves. It becomes a revenge mission after Father Kelly, Hellboy's associate, is murdered by a living werewolf. Kate's first sighting of a ghost occurs. * 1995, Scotland: Hellboy returns to the ruined church where he first appeared in the world, and has a dream-vision of his origin: His mother, as a young woman, had cavorted with a demon, and on Walpurgisnacht (a night of great significance to witches) conceived Hellboy as a result. Hellboy lay dormant within her, until the demon returned at the end of the woman's life to claim her and his unborn son. * 1998, Lizarza, Spain: Hellboy has a meeting with Adrian Frost, the son of Malcolm Frost. Hellboy relates his life story to Frost, and the two realize that Hellboy's stone right hand is the key to triggering the Apocalypse. Hellboy decides keep the hand lest someone else retrieve it and use it. The Giurescu Affair In 1997, the second major turning point in Hellboy’s journey of discovery regarding his original purpose on Earth was what began as a mission to Romania, to investigate the theft of an ancient box containing the corpse of Vladimir Giurescu, a Napoeleonic officer who was in fact a vampire. The legend went that whenever Giurescu was injured in battle, his servants would bring his body back to his home castle, where the rays of the full moon would mystically revive him back to full health. In 1882, Giurescu, posing as a foreign nobleman, attempted to start a secret evil empire to conquer England. This caught the attention of the Nazi party during the 1940’s, who then sent a delegation lead by Ilsa Haupenstein to recruit the immortal vampire to their cause. The meeting went badly, resulting in Hitler ordering the arrest and murder of Giurescu’s vampiric followers, nicknamed his “family.” He and his ‘family’ were beheaded and stabbed through the heart with stakes, and then burned; their ashes sent to Hitler. However, this was not the end for Vladimir Giurescu. In the modern day 1997, a former Nazi named Howard Steinman/Hans Ubler is shot to death inside his own museum, and a crate marked “Giurescu Lot #666.” It is assumed that Ubler had stolen the remains of Giurescu during his Nazi days and had hidden the deceased vampire inside the museum for the last few decades. Now it appears that Giurescu’s followers, lead by Ilsa Haupenstein, have come to rescue their master and bring his remains to Castle Giurescu, where the next full moon (tomorrow night) will revive him. The problem is that Castle Giurescu has never been found, for its location has always been hidden. B.P.R.D. agent Kate Corrigan has made three rough guesses at possible locations of the castle, and three groups of agents are sent to each location in case of of them is the real deal. Hellboy goes solo to the first site, while agent Clark and Abe Sapien go to the second site, and Liz Sherman and agent Waller, along with newbie agent Leach, investigate the third site. Hellboy arrives in time to discover that Ilsa has already prepared for the ressurection ceremony, but he is distracted by an encounter with the harpy-like Women of Thessaly. Meanwhile, Rasputin’s spirit has returned, and he suceeds in transforming Ilsa into the reincarnation of the godess Hecate, who battles with Hellboy. When Hellboy is captured and left to die chained to a pole, the revived Giurescu charges him, only to be killed in an explosion when Hellboy cracks the pole in half and strikes the vampire’s horse. In fury, the iron maiden which formerly was Ilsa Haupenstein swallows up Hellboy, trapping him within an alternate dimension. He encounters a group of beings who claim to be Chaos itself, and tell Hellboy that the time has finally come for him to embrace his purpose. His true name, “Anung Un Rama,” is revealed for the first time, and the two sawed-off horns atop Hellboy’s forehead begin to regrow as a crown of fire appears above him. Hellboy however manages to overcome the transformation, telling the spirits, “screw you!” and snaps off his newly-regrown horns; an act which represents Hellboy’s devotion to the cause of good and that he truly is a well-meaning being, despite his origins or purpose. This act of defiance instantly returns him back to our world, where he meets the just-arrived Kate Corrigan. Backup never arrived due to an accident at the airport, and Kate reveals to a shocked Hellboy that during his adventures the other two teams had met their own misfortunes: Liz Sherman accidentally revived a human-sized humunculus which proceeded to kill Waller and Leach before dissapearing. Liz is in shock, and feels extreme guilt over the incident. At the same time, Abe Sapien and agent Clark had visited a church in the belief that they would meet Hellboy there due to the presence of his tracking device. But it was revealed to be a trap set up by Rasputin, who wanted revenge against Abe for stabbing the mystic through the chest in their last encounter during the Cavendish Hall affair. Clark was killed in the process, but Abe managed to survive. The skeletal remains of Vladimir Giurescu are recovered by the B.P.R.D. while Hellboy and his fellow agents are airlifted home, exhausted by their recent mission. Meanwhile, Ilsa’s former henchmen Karl Rupert Kroenen and the revived Herman Von Klempt are punished by an enraged Rasputin for their defiance. Kroenen and the other former Nazi experts had been entrusted with the task of creating an Army for Giurescu to lead in a campaign to destroy mankind, thus bringing about Rasputin’s planned “Ragna Rok” apocalypse. Due to their disobedience in resurrecting Von Klempt, whom Rasputin despises, the undead mystic destroys the laboratory along with the scientists, thus annihilating all evidence of their work. Prior to The Conquerer Worm Affair * 1999, Druggan Hill, England/Lockmaben, Scotland: Hellboy and Abe investigate the Guarino's castle after a mysterious attack. Igor Bromhead releases Ualac, a minor demon trapped in a box by St. Dunstan. Abe is shot by a chimpanzee. Ualac claims the Crown of the Apocalypse (which sits invisibly on Hellboy's head) then attempts to claim Hellboy's right hand. Hellboy breaks free and slays his mortal body. Bromhead and Ualac are claimed by the demon Astaroth, who takes Hellboy's crown down to Hell. The Conqueror Worm Affair This was a landmark moment in Hellboy’s multi-layered career. With the help of fellow agents Roger and Abe Sapien, among others, he faced off against an unprecedented threat: a cosmic entity bound with a Nazi scientist who had floating through space through decades, and was now the vessel for the monstrous creature’s arrival on Earth. This beast was an alleged offspring of the Ogdru-Jahad, which the Nazis had tried to communicate with back in the 40’s. This mission to stop the ‘worm,’ now controlled by Grigori Rasputin, culminated in an intense sacrifice from Roger the Homunculus, who risked his very life to try and imprison the worm’s spirit within himself. With assistance from the ghost of famed television-serial hero Lobster Johnson, Hellboy managed to drive away the Worm’s consciousness, and a wounded Roger was given aid by B.P.R.D. agents. Hellboy now feeling deep guilt over his profession, due to he having been given by Manning prior a device to kill Roger, should he become dangerous again. Then, with a heavy heart, Hellboy announced his resignation to Kate Corrigan, before leaving to try and find out once and for all the truth behind the supposed fate that would always haunt him. Post-Conqueror Worm * 2004, Africa: Hellboy seeks advice from an African witch-doctor, and is told to dive to the bottom of the sea. He is captured by the Bog Roosh, who means to prevent the Apocalypse by dismembering Hellboy and hiding the Right Hand of Doom, but Hellboy manages to escape with the assistance of a mermaid. * 2006: Hellboy washes up on an unknown island. He accidentally resurrects an ancient mystic, learns the secret history of the universe, and faces the monstrous Urgo Hem. Hellboy then sets sail for England as the Daoine Sidh watch on. * 2007: Hellboy returns to England. Rejecting the offer of Britain's witches to become their king, Hellboy is sent to another dimension to face the Baba Yaga and her lieutenant, Koschei the Deathless. Powers and Abilities Hellboy's superhuman abilities would seem to stem from his demonic nature. While his specific powers and abilities have never been explicitly described in the comics, Hellboy is much stronger and more physically durable than an ordinary human being. The movie makes much of the idea that Hellboy is fireproof. However, in the comics and subsequent novels Hellboy is not actually fireproof. He can be burned and damaged like any living thing but he is possessed of a "healing factor" (much like Marvel character Wolverine) that allows him to recover from wounds at an incredible rate. In "The Lost Army" Hellboy was noted to be able to see farther than the normal human, and quickly heal from fatal wounds, one example being he once took a sword thrust through his chest and out his back. He also has the innate ability to comprehend ancient and magical languages. He has been savagely beaten by large monsters on several occasions and survived, often with relatively minor injuries. On one occasion, Hellboy directly charged an MG-42 machine gun and took numerous bullets to the chest before destroying the gun. The extent of Hellboy's strength is unclear, but he has, for example, torn down a large tree and hurled it at an opponent. He has also thrown opponents weighing at least four to five hundred pounds. Hellboy also seems to age differently from normal Humans. In the story Pancakes he is two years old but appears to be far older. In the story Nature of the Beast he appears to be a full grown adult but as this story is set in 1954 he is merely ten years old. His rapid maturation is in contrast to his actual rate of aging, which seems to be much slower than normal. Throughout the sixty year span of the comics he does not appear to age beyond the point he reached maturity. In addition to his natural gifts, Hellboy carries a variety of items, such as holy relics, horseshoes, and herbs, in his utility belt, as well as a variety of grenades and other demolition tools; these often come in handy when fighting supernatural beasts. He commonly carries an oversized pistol. In the film adaptation, this gun is called the "Samaritan," and Hellboy states that he uses "Really big bullets" containing silver shavings, holy water, cloves, "the works" (as said by Hellboy in the movie) to ensure the weapon's effectiveness against supernatural creatures. It is also stated that the gun is fashioned from melted-down church bells and fragments of the True Cross. It should be noted, though, that Hellboy is, by his own admission, a lousy shot, preferring to mix it up in hand-to-hand combat whenever possible and eschewing most weapons. Characterization Hellboy, as portrayed by Mignola, is a likable, gruff person with much panache and witty humor in his attitude. He is easily angered by the cheap gadgets he uses (infamous for not always working properly), but has a genuinely good heart and love for other humans, despite his demonic origins. A living oxymoron, Hellboy is a force for good, with an iron will and a desire to do the right thing. He has continuously stated his disinterest in his supposed ‘purpose,’ and tries to hide his conflicted feelings beneath the wisecracking façade of a paranormal investigator who would just as soon knock back a cold beer and light a stogie, while punching the teeth out of demons and evil spirits. He is currently retired from the B.P.R.D. now on a mission to discover his origins and how to stop his impending ‘destiny’… The ‘Right Hand of Doom’ Hellboy's right hand, referred to as the "Right Hand of Doom", consists of a large forearm and hand that seems to be made from red stone. The Hand is effectively invulnerable and feels no pain, and is much like a sledgehammer when used to punch an enemy. Of course, being far larger than an ordinary human hand, the Right Hand of Doom is not very suitable for use with most objects, so Hellboy relies on his average-sized left hand to operate weapons and devices, although it has proved flexible enough to catch a fly. Because of this, he is most likely ambidextrous. As revealed in the graphic novel collection Strange Places, the Right Hand of Doom was formerly the right hand of one of the "greater spirits" that watched over the burgeoning Earth, and the hand the spirit used to create the dragon Ogdru Jahad. With that same hand, he bound the dragon, but then his fellow spirits turned upon him for his deeds, and destroyed him utterly - save for his right hand, which was kept and preserved by many races throughout history, including the first race of man. As the hand which created and bound the Ogrdu Jahad, it is also the key which will "loose and command" them; in other words, it is a catalyst that will bring about Armageddon. The comic books themselves never actually mention how the Right Hand of Doom would actually perform these tasks; it is only ever announced that this is the case and that someone or something intends to do it with or without Hellboy's consent. It is made clear that it is not even necessary for the arm to be attached to Hellboy at all, even on its own it would perform its tasks. However, it has been suggested that if Hellboy dies while the the Hand is attached to him, it would become useless. He has thus come to the conclusion that the only way to prevent it falling into the wrong hands is to keep and protect it. Weapons and Equipment * A large pistol, which uses specially modified bullets to combat supernatural beings. Often runs out of ammo, and prone to jamming. * Hellboy often carries many charms and knick-knacks on his belt, which he often uses as either tools to resurrect the dead, protect him or his friends from evil entities, heal, etc. Also, on Hellboy’s belt is a tracking device which is constantly linked to B.P.R.D. headquarters, in order to keep track of Hellboy’s whereabouts. * In Wake the Devil Hellboy used a rocket pack to make a tricky landing over Guirescu’s Castle. However, this “new and improved” model proved to be a wash when, upon ignition, exploded and engulfed a predictably pissed Hellboy. Allies and Enemies Allies: * Abe Sapien: An amphibious humanoid of mysterious origin, this fellow agent can breath underwater thanks to a set of gills, and is one of Hellboy’s closest friends in the B.P.R.D. * Liz Sherman: A pyrokinetic, this brooding, somber woman has the psychic ability to create and manipulate fire. However, she suffers from guilt and a lack of self-confidence over her unstable and often downright dangerous ability. When she was a child, she accidentally killed her parents with her powers, and has since always been haunted by her failures and mistakes. * Roger the Homunculus: An abnormally large, human-sized artificial man created from blood and herbs, both mixed in a jar with horse manure. Roger was discovered by Liz Sherman’s party during the Guirescu Affair, and was accidentally revived inside the secret laboratory he was built in by Liz, who had curiously reached into a hole in his chest. Her fiery abilities sparked the creature to life, and the startled, frightened and confused homunculus lashed out and killed Agent Waller. However, at a later time the creature, to be named Roger eventually, was confronted by Hellboy and the beast helped revive a seriously injured Liz Sherman. Roger was rewarded with Agent status, and became a close partner of Hellboy during the Conqueror Worm mission. * Trevor Bruttenholm: Hellboy’s mentor and adoptive father. Pronounced “Broom,” the Professor was killed by a plague of frogs summoned by Grigori Rasputin, as a way to entice Hellboy into investigating the strange murder and falling right into the deranged mystic’s plans. * Tom Manning: The head of the B.P.R.D. and Hellboy’s boss. He is the one who usually briefs Hellboy and his fellow agents on their new missions. *Kate Corrigan: One of Hellboy’s deepest, most beloved teammates, Kate is an expert agent and motherly figure of the B.P.R.D. She is often on hand to give advice and strong-willed advice, as well as criticism. An expert of the occult, Kate is a very dear friend and partner of Hellboy. Enemies: * Grigori Rasputin: An undead mystic who claims to be the official messenger of the terrible cosmic entity, the Ogdru Jahad, and is completely devoted to bringing about the end of days, by any means. He was under the employs of the Nazis in the mid-forties when he summoned Hellboy to Earth, intending him to be the leader of Rasputin’s forces in the coming apocalypse. He and his ‘creation’ first met during the Cavendish mission, and has since been manipulating numerous events, to further his motives. He had a hinted romance with Illsa Haupenstein. * Herman Von Klempt: A deranged neo-Nazi scientist who is in fact a disembodied head which is kept alive inside an advanced jar of liquid. His gruesome experiments with helpless village girls introduced him to Hellboy, who would become his greatest advesary in his twisted plans. Under his control is an army of gigantic gorillas, controlled through a mental device implanted within the apes’ brains. They do the brunt of Von Klempt’s work, and are shown as slightly sympathetic creatures due to their mindless control under the mad “head in a jar.” * Baba Yaga: This powerful ancient witch, who resides in a chicken-legged house, has been on this Earth for centuries, and has a personal hatred for Hellboy after he shot out her left eye. Rasputin refers to Baba Yaga as his grandmother, and she has a tender, maternal relationship with the mystic. * Illsa Haupenstein: This Nazi woman was a deeply loyal follower of Gregori Rasputin, and had a romantic attraction to him. Seduced into believing Rasputin’s prophecy of the Ogrdu Jahad’s complete destruction of Earth and rebirth as a beautiful paradise free of conflict or moral sins, she was convinced to enter a metal torture device, which transformed Illsa into the malevolent goddess Hecate. This evil entity swallowed up Hellboy, transporting him to an eerie realm where he confronted his purpose and experienced the re-growth of his horns. Appearances in Other Media Hellboy has been adapted into various other media, most prominently film and animation. Film franchise The 2003 film directed by Guillermo del Toro helped bring a larger awareness of the character into the public eye, and resulted in the birth of many more fans. The plot focused primarily on the origin of Hellboy, depicting in a prologue his summoning to Earth by Gregori Rasputin and his rescue from the forces of evil by a young Trevor Bruttenholm. In the modern day, Hellboy is now a paranormal investigator for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. He finds himself not only having to battle an army of multiplying Sammuel creatures which threaten to overtake mankind, but to also face the temptations of the resurrected Rasputin, who has come to finally fulfill Hellboy’s purpose… The sequel, titled Hellboy II: The Golden Army, is scheduled for a 2008 release, and features the return of many cast members such as Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Jeffery Tambor, and John Hurt (in a flashback sequence as Professor Trevor Bruttenholm). The film has the basic premise that the secret communities of fairy tale creatures (who have been rejected and ignored by an increasingly science-minded humanity) start a rebellion against humankind, and the B.P.R.D. must stop this growing war. Hellboy Animated Hellboy has also enjoyed success in the animation medium, starring in a series of feature-length, hand-drawn animated movies released directly to DVD, and starring the voice talents of the live-action movie’s actors (Ron Perlman, Selma Blair and Doug Jones being the most prominent). Two films have been released so far: Hellboy Animated: Sword of Storms and Hellboy Animated: Blood and Iron, with a third feature titled Hellboy Animated: The Phantom Claw in development. This animated continuity of the Hellboy universe is also expanded on in a short graphic-novella series published by Dark Horse Comics, consisting (so far) of the comic collections Hellboy Animated: Phantom Legs (exclusive to the Sword of Storms DVD), Hellboy Animated: The Black Wedding and Hellboy Animated: The Judgement Bell. Trivia According to Mignola, Hellboy’s personality was primly based on Mignola’s father, a worker who often came home with many injuries, but always shrugged them off with dry humor. Originally, Hellboy was to be a member of a superhero team Mignola conceived, but the artist abandoned the team-concept when he failed to come up with suitable names for the other heroes. Lauded Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, who is an acknowledged major fan of Mignola’s work, wrote the introduction to the hardcover edition of the Conqueror Worm arc. Ironically, del Toro would later go on to direct the two live-action Hellboy films thus far. Hellboy’s name was born out of what began as a private joke to Mignola, who had randomly come up with the word, saying that he found the name “hilarious.” The Hellboy comics books, as well as the general artistic style of Mignola’s work, was tremendously influenced by the art of famed comic-book illustrator Jack Kirby, as well as influences by Gustav Dore, H. P. Lovecraft, and even Bram Stoker’s famed novel Dracula; one of Mignola’s favorites. Sources Hellboy at Wikipediahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellboy Hellboy: The Official Websitehttp://www.hellboy.com